North Texas teacher Gershon Caston facing aggravated sexual assault, child trafficking charges
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) - A North Texas teacher is one of four people arrested by a joint task force within the past week in connection to the sex trafficking of an underage victim in Dallas.
Thirty-six-year-old Gershon Caston, who's worked for four different North Texas school districts in the past decade, is charged with aggravated sex assault of a child, trafficking of a child, and compelling prostitution by a minor.
Lamorris Hudspeth, Amber Gords, and Adarius Staples were also charged.
The Dallas Police Department reports a preliminary investigation by the North Texas Trafficking Task Force found the crimes were committed in June and July of this year.
A source familiar with the investigation told CBS News Texas the case is linked to the disappearance of an 11-year-old girl in southern Dallas last week, who became the subject of an Amber Alert. Waxahachie Police reported Saturday she'd been found safe.
Caston is currently employed by Red Oak ISD as a teacher and coach for Red Oak Middle School. A district spokesperson, though, says he was hired in May and so far had only assisted with a summer strength and conditioning camp.
In a letter to parents, the district wrote Caston's charges are not related to its schools, that it has no information of any student being involved, and that he has been placed on leave ahead of what would have been his first day in the classroom next month.
Duncanville ISD lists him in a staff directory for Duncanville High School but has not responded to questions regarding his employment.
Irving ISD confirmed an individual with Caston's name was employed for two years as a special education teacher from August 2020 to May of 2022, but that it has not received any official notification of an arrest.
DeSoto ISD confirmed Caston also spent a year working as a special education teacher at one of its schools but resigned in 2016 with no written reprimands or complaints. A picture of Caston on social media shows him wearing a DeSoto West lanyard.
A Duncanville native, Caston played basketball for New Mexico State while in college and has also worked as a youth basketball coach.
Affidavits detailing the evidence against Caston and others arrested in the trafficking investigation have not yet been released.
